Retroronde 2015
 

This weekend was the 9th Retroronde van Vlaanderen (the Retro-Tour of Flanders). Every year in June old people on old bikes gather in Oudenaarde, Belgium, to sample a taste of the Tour of Flanders. Mrs non-fixie and yours truly were there, and this is what we found.

On Saturday people were coming in from all over the world to pick up their starting numbers. These two Brits brought a Rotrax and a Major Nichols:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-ODNZFHEO.jpg

There were all sorts of bikes, including some famous ones. This is Laurent Fignon's 1984 Tour de France machine:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-B7EDSJNF.jpg

I was glad to see this nice couple from England again this year, as they possess one of my favorites bikes: a Flying Gate:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-RVYHAL48.jpg

Mrs non-fixie brought her beloved Benotto 500 and lo and behold, there was another one, albeit a later version, a 500 'Paris Special':

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-QVCNPHAG.jpg

If you're into patina, have a look a this Groene Leeuw:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-3B8I3EK8.jpg

Also on Saturday there was a concours d'elegance. This beautifully restored Teval was one of the winners:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-SYLST66M.jpg

One of the organizers of the Haarlem Tour d'Historique brought a 1940's RIH track bike. This picture does not really do it justice:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-ZLDALV7T.jpg

simply lovely, thanks for sharing.

That sounds like a fun event. Thanks for the photos.

As usual, the Saturday afternoon was for criterium racing on the Oudenaarde square. Not without danger (at least one contestant was hospitalized this year) but quite spectacular, both for the riders and for the audience.

At the starting line. Note the cobblestones!

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-T6B8QYXJ.jpg

All races consisted of eight rounds, the first two behind the derny:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-VJMJINHC.jpg

In the pignon fixe category there was another very special RIH, this one from the nineties:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-GIDO3EC7.jpg

Both RIHS in one shot. Fifty years between them!

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-C3OVIPOI.jpg

With 63 world and Olympic titles to their name, it was no more than logical RIH would win this race too:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-VIS4J4WE.jpg

Sunday is for the actual tour. There's a choice of 40, 70 or 100 kilometers. Everyone with a vintage bike is invited. This couple brought a Flandria tandem:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-QLR88XDX.jpg

Waiting for the start:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-F8TMC8E6.jpg

Fifteen TdF stage wins and two world championships for this Flandrien. Do you recognize him?

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-88VYDG4U.jpg

Fellow BF member Munny is in here somewhere with his beautiful Superia:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-X4KDX7NJ.jpg

Mrs non-fixie and I took it easy with the 40k route. At the first rest stop (there was one every 10k - this is Belgium :)) there was lemon jenever. Potentially lethal stuff, but very nice! We got there among the first riders, but there were already empty bottles:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-IJHYVQB6.jpg

There was some more PC stuff as well:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-8JLSNLPM.jpg

And beautiful machinery to behold. An Ariac seat cluster:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-KJFICZ3M.jpg

This Hetchins was nice too:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-XLDNI7JQ.jpg

Between the stops we did a little riding as well. This is what Flanders looks like:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-TUCDC4GW.jpg

At the finish we were welcomed with music and dancing:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-H8E74UPJ.jpg

And beer of course, named after one of the famous local (uphill) road sections, the Kwaremont:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-LFATL6KX.jpg

This report would not be complete without these brommers. You may know the Flemish firm Flandria for their bicycles, but locally they are at least as famous for their mopeds, if not more. Quite a few of them showed up as well. If I were still sixteen I'd want one of these.

Desperately.


http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-LTSI4UBH.jpg

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-8K4H47CK.jpg

Looks like an awesome day and great pics.

:thumb:

Fantastic pics, look like you,the wife, and everybody else had a blast.

Those mopeds... Yes, 15,16,17 heck I would want one of those up till I had to surrender my Moto license.

Just lovely. Thank you for sharing - glad to have at least seen it second-hand.

Great pictures. Looks like it was a great time for all. Does Freddy Maertens still ride?

Thanks for posting this N-F; you made my day!

Wow, first Harlem, oops, I mean Haarlem, and now this!

Looks like two great events. Thanks for sharing!

Oh, so who is the 15 stage TDF winner in the picture? I'm not recognizing him...:o

Great report N-F, as usual! Check out this one as well, I think it's right up your alley: late august in Ciney, la Savoureuse.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Sa...50970988284219
There are some pics of the retroronde on this page as well.

That looks like it was a very memorable event. Perhaps one day I will be able to make it. Thanks for the photos.

Thanks or sharing, living now in Rotterdam I thought about going but could not be possible. Apart from La Savoureuse any other classic & vintage evets I should not miss while being in the Benelux?

Tks in advance

I was going to ask if you met him at the museum... cool.

I'm sorry but that one is over ...
Only a short life with 2 editions

Thanks for the kind replies. It was an awesome event indeed. Just like last year, when I first attended. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Here's a pretty good list. You might have to brush up on your Flemish, though: Retrokoers in NL en BE

+1 Looks like a blast. :)

It's Freddy Maertens, possibly the strongest pair of legs ever in the peloton. Just to give you an idea: he won the 1977 Vuelta a España by winning 13 of the 19 stages.

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-DBMW6A4T.jpg

Thanks for that. Quite a record he had!

Amazing what the years will do to a man's looks, I would never have guessed it was the same man...

Years ?

Cycling, big ratios, alcohol, dope, money, lack of money, confidence problems.

Whatever. During a time, we cycled together with Mr Desmet, quite aged on a quite aged groene leeuw and I can say that he is still impressive